Freight bracing structure



Dec. 13, 1960 R. c. SCHROEDER FREIGHT BRACING STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Sept. 27, 1956 INVENT'OR T'TORNEVS Foam r C HALQL 5s Summon M/TH,0155/14 [5M5 Mi /1% 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 27, 1956 1905597CHARLES Swmmm 5 74 6 a jwwmy/mw M 545 United States Patent FREIGHTBRACING STRUCTURE Robert Charles Schroeder, Raymond Court, Dearborn,

Mich, assignor of one-half to David D. Wood, Plymouth, ll/Iich.

Filed Sept. 27, 1956, Set. N0. 612,530

9 Claims. or. 105-369) This invention relates to freight bracingapparatus of the type which includes a plurality of horizontal railmembers positioned along opposite walls of a freightstorage area; thepurpose of the rail members being to mount horizontal freight-supportingcross members at various positions of vertical and horizontaladjustment.

Objects of the invention are singly and collectively to provide railmembers of the above-mentioned type wherein:

1) the rail members are releasably locked adjacent the storage areawalls by an economically constructed locking mechanism,

(2) the locking mechanism is of such design as to require minimummachining operations in the formation of its component parts,

(3) the locking mechanism is of such design as to enable formation ofits component parts by economical forging operations,

(4) the locking mechanism employs a spring mechanism which is shieldedby portions of the locking mechanism against inadvertent damage ordisplacement,

(5) the locking mechanism is of such design that it is easily disengagedfrom its locked position with a minimum likelihood of parts jamming,

(6) the locking mechanism is of such construction that in the lockedposition there is no play or movement of the rail member.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following descriptionand appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification wherein like reference charactersdesignate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a horizontal rail member locked againsta vertical stationary member by a locking mechanism constructedaccording to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the Fig. 1 mechanism with parts broken awayalong lines 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on line 33 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through a latch element employed in the Fig.1 embodiment, taken prior to its being bent into its finalconfiguration.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of the Fig. 4 element after being bent to itsfinal configuration.

Fig 6 is a sectional view on line 66 in Fig. 3.

v Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view on line 7-7 in Fig. 3 but with partsremoved for illustration purposes.

Fig. 8 is a sectional View on line 8-8 in Fig. 3.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited in its application to thedetails of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also,it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employedherein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

In the drawings there is shown a vertical support member or pillarstructure 10 which is welded at 12 to two vertical angle members 14.Members 14 are in turn fixedly secured to wall 16 of a railroad freightcar or other similar freight storage structure.

Positioned parallel with wall 16 is a rail member 18 which correspondsin structure and function with rail member 5 shown in copendingapplication, Serial No. 564,445, filed February 9, 1956. In practice ofthe invention rail member 18 is releasably secured at both of its endson two support members 14), only one of which is shown in the drawings.

Securement of member 18 on member 10 is effected by locking mechanism20. Mechanism 20 includes a catch element 22 welded at 24 to flange 26of member 18, with surface 27 of element 22 seated on the upper face offlange 26. Element 22 is provided with a narnow neck portion 28 whichforms two shoulder portions 30 and 32. In the locked position of thelocking mechanism neck portion 28 seats within an opening 34, whichactually constitutes one portion of a larger keyhole opening 36;shoulder portions 30 and 32 seat against opposite faces 38 and 40 ofmember 10 so as to anchor element 22 against movement at right angles tosurfaces 38 and Element 22 is centrally recessed on its upper face toprovide two shoulder portions 42 and 44. These shoulder portions serveas guide surfaces for insuring straight line movement of a latch element46 in the arrow 48 direction. Element 46 is provided with a slot 50, anda headed pin in the form of a rivet 52 projects from element 18 throughelement 22 and slot 50 so as to prevent removal of element 46 fromelement 22 while allowing the arrow 48 movement.

Element 46 includes an enlarged end portion 53 which is adapted to bepositioned within an opening 55. Opening 55 constitutes the enlargedportion of keyhole opening 36 not occupied by neck portion 28. In orderto retain end portion 53 within opening 55 there is provided a leafspring 57. The central portion of spring 57 is secured to the upturnedportion 58 of element 46 by means of rivets 60. The end portions ofspring 57 are positioned between the shoulder-forming projections 62through 65 formed as integral parts of element 22. The positionment ofspring 57 between projections 62 through 65 causes the spring to urgeelement 46 to its Fig. 3 position with the right end of slot 50 abuttingagainst the right surface of rivet 52.

In order to most rigidly hold member 18 in position adjacent member 10 acatch element 68 is carried on the lower face of flange 70; said element68 being welded to flange 70 as at 72. Element 68 includes a narrow neckportion 74 which is adapted to be received within the smaller portion 34of any of the T-shaped keyhole openings 36. Neck portion 74 serves todefine shoulder portions 76 and 78 which are adapted to seat againstsurfaces 38 and 40 of member 10 so as to anchor element 22 againstmovement at right angles to surfaces 38 and 40.

Both of catch elements 22 and 68 have their channelengaging portions 79and 8t} oifset from their member lfl-engag-ing portions 81 and 82 so asto form shoulders at 84 and 85. These shoulders serve to accuratelyposition catch elements 22 and 68 on member 18 prior to their beingWelded in place; as a result member 18 is insured of taking itscorrectly designed position with respect to member 10. The operation oflocking rail 18 in its illustrated position is accomplished by initiallymoving rail 18 toward members 10 and causing enlarged portions 81 and 82to be moved through openings 55;

during this operation enlarged portions 53 strike surfaces 38 aboveopenings 55 and spring 57 yields to permit entrance of portions 81 intoopenings 55 without interference fromenlarged end portions 53. The.locking operation is completed by allowing rail 18 to drop downward so.as to put neck portions 28 and 74" within openings 34; enlarged endportion 53 automatically snaps into opening 55 under the influence ofspring 57.

The operation of unlocking rail 18 is accomplished by manuallywithdrawing element 46 from-its Fig. 3 position in thearrow 48direction; this Withdrawing operation is facilitated by the provision ofa lip portion 88 on 'element 46, said lip portion forming an interiorsurface 89 which can be readily engaged by the workmans fingers toprevent them from slipping out of engagement with upturnedportion 58.Lip portion 88 also serves to shield spring 57 from inadvertent damageor displacement, it being appreciated that rails 18' encounter roughhandling and'tumbling about during use. After end portion 53 is out ofopening 55 rail 18 is raised to put portions 81 and 82 within openings55; thereafter rail 18 is moved horizontallyaway from surfacelt)tocomplete the unlocking operation.

The design of elements 22 and 46 is such that element 46 is smoothlyguided in its movement by surfaces 42 and 44. 'The direction and mannerin which element 46 is moved insures against element 46 inadvertentlybecoming jammed in the locked position or inadvertently shifting'out ofthe locked position except under manual pressure against wall portion58.

The design ofelements 22 and 63 is such that said elements can beeconomically formed by forging operations; very little machiningoperations are required. In this connection it will be noted that theside surfaces of element 22 and its projections 62 through 65 aretapered slightly from a straight line through points 91 and 92 (see Fig.7 This surface tapering, together with the inherent non-crevice designof element 22, permits formation of the element by a forging operation.However, in order to insure an accurate snug fit between elements 22, 68and 10 surfaces 30, 32, 93, 76, 78 and 94 are machined; for this reasonthe forged pieces 22 and 68 initially include the surfaces indicated bydotted lines 95 and 96, the neck portions 28 and 94 being subsequentlyformed by machining operations. The design of element 46 is such that itcan be formed by forging and bending operations. Initially the elementis forged to the Fig. 4 configuration, and subsequently the element isbent into the Fig. configuration.

1. Freight bracing structure comprising a stationary member having twoopposite faces and a keyhole opening extending therebetween; a railmember adjacent one face of the stationary member; a catch memberprojecting from the rail member through the smaller portion of thekeyhole opening;.said catch member including a relatively narrow neckportion engaging the side walls defined H by thenarrow portion of thekeyhole opening and relatively wide shoulder portions engaging oppositefaces of the stationary member whereby to prevent any play of the catchmember in the opening; and a reciprocably mounted latch element.positioned adjacent the catch memberfor movement into and out of thelarger portion of the keyhole opening; said latch element being of suchsize and placement as to prevent separation of the rail member from. thestationary member when it is located within the larger portion of thekeyhole opening.

2. Freight bracing structure comprising vertical stationary mechanismhaving two horizontally spaced openings at substantially the same levelalong onewall of a freight storage area; each of said openings includinga relatively large opening 'portion and a relativelysmall openingportion; an elongated horizontal rail member extending parallel to saidone wall between said openings;

catch elements immovably projecting from the rail member throughrespective ones of the openings; said catch elements having narrow neckportions seated in the small opening portions and enlarged end portionsin anchoring engagement with face portions of the stationary mechanismremote from the rail member; latch elements movably carried by the railmember adjacent respective ones of the catch elements; and spring meansurging the latch elements horizontally into the stationary mechanism,whereby to prevent removal of the rail member fromits position adjacentthe stationary mechanism except when the latch elements are withdrawnfrom the stationary mechanism against the action of the spring means;said latch elements terminating adjacent the outer limits of the railmember in the latched position so as not to unduly project into thefreight storage area.

3. Freight bracing structure comprising a stationary member havinganopening formed therein; said opening including a relatively largeopening portion and a relatively small opening portion; a rail memberadjacent the stationary member; a catch element projecting from the railtoward the stationary member; said catch element having a relativelynarrow neck portion projecting through the small portion of the openingand having an enlarged end portion in anchoring engagement with the faceof the stationary member remote from the rail member; a latch elementslidably positioned on one face of the catch element and having a slotextending in the direction of its movement; a headed pin projecting fromthe catch element through the slot; said catch element being providedwith an'integrally formed shoulder portion projecting from said one facealong one side surface of the latch element whereby to guide said latchelement in its slida'ole movement; and spring means urging the latchelement into the large portion of the stationary member opening, wherebyto prevent removal of the rail member from its position adjacent thestationary member except when the latch element is withdrawn from theopening against the action of the spring means.

4. Thecombination of claim 3 wherein the end of the latch element remotefrom the opening is-tur'ned in a direction away from the catch elementand then parallel thereto whereby to form a hand-engageable portion forfacilitating easy withdrawal ofthe latch element out of the opening.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein the catch element is provided witha pair of integrally formed projecti'ons extending from said one face ateach side of the latch element; and the spring means includes a bowedleaf spring secured at its center portion to the turned portion of thelatch element and having its end portions positioned between theprojections in each pair so as to exert a force tending to flatten theleaf bow and thereby cause the center portion to be biased toward therail member opening. 7

6. Freight bracing structure comprising a stationary member having firstand second vertically spaced openings formed therein; each of saidopenings including a relatively large opening portion and a relativelysmall opening portion; a horizontal channel member positioned adjacentthe stationary member with its web portion parallel with the plane ofthe openings and with its flange portions extending toward saidstationary member; a first catch element carriedon the upper flangeportion ofthe channel member and projecting toward the stationarymember; said first catch element having a relatively narrow neck portionprojecting through the small portion of the first opening and having anenlarged end portion in anchoring engagement with the face of thestationary member remote from the channel member; a second catch elementcarried on the lower flange portion of the channel member and projectingtoward the stationary member; said second catch element having arelatively narrow neck portion projecting through the small portion ofthe second opening and having an enlarged end portion in anchoringengagement with the aforementioned remote face; a latch element movablycarried on the upper face of said first catch element; and spring meansurging the latch element into the large portion of the first opening,whereby to prevent removal of the channel member from its positionadjacent the stationary member except when the latch element iswithdrawn from said first opening against the action of the springmeans.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein each of the catch elementsincludes an integrally formed shoulder portion seated against the edgeof the adjacent flange portion whereby to accurate locate the railmember with respect to the stationary member.

8. The combination comprising a vertical freight storage area wall;pillar means thereon having two horizontally spaced vertical rows ofopenings; a horizontal elongated rail extending between said rows ofopenings parallel to the storage area wall; catch elements extendingfrom said rail, and including narrow neck portions locatable withinselected openings in each row and laterally directed catch Wall portionsengageable with surfaces of the aforementioned pillar means remote fromthe rail to prevent direct horizontal movement of the rail away from thestorage area wall; the neck portions of said catch elements within theopenings being of lesser lateral dimension than the openings to enablethe rail to be shifted parallel with the storage area wall for puttingthe catch elements in positions susceptible to being withdrawnhorizontally through the openings by movement of the rail on which theyare carried; and manually operable reciprocable latch elements movablycarried by said rail for projection into and out of selected openings toreleasably retain the catch elements in positions preventing theaforementioned shifting movement of the rail parallel to the storagearea wall; said latch elements extending from the rail in the directionof the storage area Wall substantially lesser distances than the catchelements, whereby the rail can be installed at vertically adjustedpositions along the storage area wall by a simple horizontal thrustingmovement thereof to place the catch elements within selected openingswithout obstruction by the latch elements and Without need for manualretraction of the latch elements; said latch elements having theirmanual actuator portions located substantially Within the verticalconfines of the rail in the latched positions so as not to projectunduly into the freight storage area.

9. The combination comprising a vertical freight storage area wall;pillar means thereon having two horizontally spaced vertical rows ofopenings; a horizontal elongated rail extending between said rows ofopenings parallel to the storage area wall; two catch elements extendingfrom said rail adjacent each end thereof so as to be introduced throughselected openings in each row; each catch element including a narrowneck portion locatable within a selected opening and a laterallyextending catch wall portion engageable with a surface of theaforementioned pillar means remote from the rail so as to provide arigid four point seating of the rail on the pillar means and to preventdirect horizontal movement of the rail away from the storage area wall;the portions of said catch elements within the openings being of lesservertical dimension than the vertical dimensions of the openings toenable the rail to be shifted upwardly for putting the catch elements inpositions susceptible to being withdrawn horizontally through theopenings by movement of the rail on which they are carried; and amanually operable reciprocable latch element movably carried by saidrail adjacent each end thereof for projection into and out of selectedopenings to releasably retain the catch elements in positions preventingthe aforementioned up Ward shifting movement of the rail; said latchelements extending from the rail in the direction of the storage areaWall substantially lesser distances than the catch elements, whereby therail can be installed at vertically adjusted positions along the storagearea wall by a simple horizontal thrusting movement thereof to place thecatch elements within selected openings without obstruction by the latchelements and without need for manual retraction of the latch elements;said latch elements having their manual actuator portions locatedsubstantially within the vertical confines of the rail in the latchedpositions so as not to project unduly into the freight storage area.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,091,869 McCurdy Aug. 31, 1937 2,354,861 Hermann Aug. 1, 1944 2,575,550Fahland Nov. 20, 1951 2,769,404 Dietrichson Nov. 6, 1956

